Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Leviticus chapter 18 comments: Hebrews warned against sexual improprieties

 

Leviticus 18:1 ¶  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God. 3  After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. 4  Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. 5  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

 

Here God through Moses makes it clear that the Hebrews are to be different from the people where they came from and from the people where they are going. Not only the wicked religions of the heathen but their personal practices must be avoided. It is safe to say that anything listed as forbidden was something that was not uncommon among the heathen. For instance, eating animals killed by other animals or dying on their own as mentioned in the last chapter for we know of primitive tribes that until recently scavenged on carcasses of animals killed by large predators in Africa.

So, now, God is going to take this down to the level of the lewd behavior of the Egyptians and the residents of their former tributaries in Canaan. The way that God prescribes is the way of life so conversely to show contempt for God’s laws is the way of death.

Leviticus 18:6 ¶  None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. 7  The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 8  The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness. 9  The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. 10  The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness. 11  The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 12  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman. 13  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she is thy mother’s near kinswoman. 14  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt. 15  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 16  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness. 17  Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness. 18  Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.

 

Here we have the meaning of uncovering their nakedness in context. Just a reminder, please note;

Genesis 9:22  And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23  And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

 

By contrast and comparison the Holy Spirit has given us another scene to ponder.

 

1Corinthians 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his fathers wife.

 

Verse 8 says  The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.

 

Keep this in mind when interpreting the Bible by cross-referencing assuming the Holy Spirit gave the men who wrote it understanding and wisdom.

The implication here is not just about seeing someone without their clothes. Additionally, the prohibition against incest between a father and a daughter or step-daughter is covered in verse 17. These admonitions were necessary only because they were part and parcel of the land in which the Hebrews were headed much like the under culture in today’s America who regards their spontaneous sexual impulses as more important than God’s commandments. The, “I have a right to be wicked,” crowd could not care one whit about these standards. They are all around you in society and even in your neighborhood and perhaps your family in case you think no one could be so wicked.

Leviticus 18:19 ¶  Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. 20  Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her. 21  And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 22  Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23  Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. 24  Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25  And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27  (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28  That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. 29  For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30  Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.

 

These are pretty straightforward and don’t need a lot of interpretation. Verse 20 gives us some understanding of what uncovering someone’s nakedness means in the context of this entire passage.

Verse 21 refers to the heathen practice of sacrificing babies to the gods. Carthage in North Africa was a colony of Phoenicia. The Roman historian Plutarch wrote about their practices in his On Superstition;

…with full knowledge and understanding they themselves offered up their own children, and those who had no children would buy little ones from poor people and cut their throats as if they were so many lambs or young birds; Meanwhile the mother stood by without a tear or moan; but should she utter a single moan or let fall a single tear, she had to forfeit the money, and her child was sacrificed nevertheless; and the whole area before the statue was filled with a loud noise of flutes and drums took the cries of wailing should not reach the ears of the people.[1] 

 

Mourning the child was supposed to nullify the effect of the sacrifice. Wikipedia quotes various sources;

Cleitarchus, Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch all mention burning of children as an offering to Cronus or Saturn, that is to Bal Ammūn, the chief god of Carthage. According to Justin, the Carthaginians accepted the Persian Achaemenid Empire's instructions to stop sacrificing children (and eating dogs). Some of these sources suggest that babies were roasted to death on a heated bronze statue. According to Diodorus Siculus, "There was in their city a bronze image of Cronus extending its hands, palms up and sloping toward the ground, so that each of the children when placed thereon rolled down and fell into a sort of gaping pit filled with fire."They placed their children alive in the arms of a bronze statue of the lady Tanit:

The hands of the statue extended over a brazier into which the child fell once the flames had caused the limbs to contract and its mouth to open... . The child was alive and conscious when burned... Philo specified that the sacrificed child was best-loved.

According to Stager and Wolff, there is a consensus among scholars that Carthaginian children were sacrificed by their parents, who would make a vow to kill the next child if the gods would grant them a favor: for instance, their shipment of goods were to arrive safely in a foreign port.[2]

 

Other behaviors forbidden to the Hebrew were homosexuality. This reference here is not specifically to the homosexual temple prostitutes which are mentioned elsewhere as sodomites which we will see referenced starting in Deuteronomy as explained earlier part of the heathen religious practices that marred Israel’s worship. This is a reference to personal practices. God also condemns bestiality here and as is reported in verse 24 by not practicing these things they will distinguish themselves from the people around them in the land of Canaan where such practices are apparently accepted and even, perhaps, common. The Hebrew who defied these proscriptions was to be killed.

It is important to note that Christians are not justified by the Law but by faith in Jesus Christ. We are given no warrant to harm anyone who commits a violation of these regulations although the civil law should rightly punish the abuse of children and animals. Our only recourse for someone whose life is characterized by their sin is to not have fellowship with them but to pray for them. Christians will often work and live in situations where people do things that rankle them. But, remember what Paul said about a brother or sister in Christ.

1Corinthians 5:9 ¶  I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10  Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12  For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

 

And remember Paul’s command when that person repents and wants to that fellowship restored lest Satan use discouragement to destroy a Christian.

 

2Corinthians 2:5 ¶  But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. 6  Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. 7  So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 8  Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. 9  For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. 10  To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

 

Here in Leviticus, chapter 18, God is telling them not to do like the people whose land they have been given do. These people have lost the land because of this wickedness which is not God’s standard and as Noah prophesied Canaan was and would be cursed.

Genesis 9:24 ¶  And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25  And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.



[1] Plutarch, On Superstition, Loeb Classical Library Edition, Vol. II, 1928, http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/De_superstitione*.html (accessed 11.8.2019)

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